Monday, June 25, 2007

Biodiversity of Northern shores

Below are a compilation of fauna found during recent trips to the northern shores. Of course, these are only what I've seen and it's definitely not exhaustive.

(Map from Google Earth)

Fauna found in recent Chek Jawa trips
(18/05/07, 20/05/07, 21/05/07, 22/05/07, 20/06/07)


1. Acorn worm, Class Enteropneusta
2. Allied cowrie or ovulid snail
3. An Unidentified sea cucumber
4. Ball sea cucumber (Phyllophorus sp.) Family Phyllophoridae
5. Biscuit sea star (Goniodiscaster scaber)
6. Brittle star, Class Ophiuroidea
7. Button shells (Umbonium vestiarum) Family Trochidae
8. Cake sand dollars (Arachnoides placenta) Family Arachnoididae
9. Carpet anemone (Stichodactyla sp.) Order Actiniaria
10. Coastal horseshoe crab (Tachypleus gigas) Class Merostomata
11. Copper-banded butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) Family Chaetodontidae
12. Cyanobacteria
13. Fiddler crab (Uca sp. Family Ocypodidae
14. Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana)
15. Green mussels (Perna viridis)
16. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
17. Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
18. Noble volute (Cymbiola nobilis) Family Volutidae
19. Ornate goby (Istigobius ornatus) Family Gobiidae
20. Peacock anemone (Cerianthus sp.) Order Ceriantharia
21. Red sea fan (Menella sp.) Order Gorgonacea
22. Sand collar of the Moon snail, Family Naticidae
23. Sand star (Astropecten sp.) Family Astropectinidae
24. Silver Sand Whiting (Sillago silhama).
25. Sponge, Phylum Porifera
26. Stranded Jellyfish
27. Striped hermit crab (Clibanarius sp.) Suborder Anomura
28. Swimming crab (Thalamita sp.) Family Portunidae
29. Thunder Crab (Myomenippe hardwickii) Family Eriphiidae
30. Toadfish, Family Batrachoididae
31. Tubeworms
32. Venus clams, Family Veneridae

Fauna found in recent Changi trips
(07/05/07, 18/05/07, 14/06/07, 18/06/07)


1. Anemone shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis)
2. Ball sea cucumber (Phyllophorus sp.) Family Phyllophoridae
3. Biscuit sea star (Goniodiscaster scaber)
4. Brittle star, Class Ophiuroidea
5. Button shells (Umbonium vestiarum) Family Trochidae
6. Cake sand dollars (Arachnoides placenta) Family Arachnoididae
7. Carpet anemone (Stichodactyla sp.) Order Actiniaria
8. Common sea pen (Pteroeides sp.) Order Pennatulacea
9. Drills, Family Muricidae
10. Eel-tailed catfish (Plotosus lineatus)
11. Fan shell, Family Pinnidae
12. Flatfish, Family Soleidae
13. Flower crab (Portunus pelagicus) Family Portunidae
14. Flowery sea pen (Cavernularia sp.) Order Pennatulacea
15. Geographic sea hare (Syphonota geographica) Order Anaspidea
16. Gong-gong (Strombus canarium) Family Strombidae
17. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
18. Hairy sea hare (Bursatella leachii) Order Anaspidea or Aplysiacea
19. Moon crab (Matuta lunaris) Family Callapidae
20. Moon snail, Family Naticidae
21. Noble volute (Cymbiola nobilis) Family Volutidae
22. Octopus Class Cephalopoda
23. Ornate goby (Istigobius ornatus) Family Gobiidae
24. Peacock anemone (Cerianthus sp.) Order Ceriantharia
25. Pipefish (Hippichthys sp.) Family Syngnathidae
26. Rabbitfish, Family Siganidae
27. Red sea fan (Menella sp.) Order Gorgonacea
28. Salmacis sea urchin (Salmacis sp.)
29. Sand collar of the Moon snail, Family Naticidae
30. Sand star (Astropecten sp.) Family Astropectinidae
31. Scorpionfish, Family Scorpaenidae
32. Sea slug (Armina babai)
33. Seahorse (Hippocampus sp.) Family Syngnathidae
34. Snapping Shrimp, Family Alpheidae
35. Spiral melongena (Pugilina cochlidium) Family Melongenidae
36. Sponge, Phylum Porifera
37. Stranded Jellyfish
38. Striped hermit crab (Clibanarius sp.) Suborder Anomura
39. Swimming anemone (Family Boloceroididae)
40. Swimming crab (Thalamita sp.) Family Portunidae
41. Thunder Crab (Myomenippe hardwickii) Family Eriphiidae
42. Tidal hermit crab (Diogenes sp.) Suborder Anomura
43. Toadfish, Family Batrachoididae
44. Venus clams, Family Veneridae
45. Whelk (Nassarius sp.) Family Nassariidae

Fauna found in recent Pulau Sekudu trips on 16/06/07

1. Ball sea cucumber (Phyllophorus sp.) Family Phyllophoridae
2. Black sea cucumber (Holothuria leucospilota)
3. Brittle star, Class Ophiuroidea
4. Button shells (Umbonium vestiarum) Family Trochidae
5. Cake sea star (Anthenea aspera) Family Oreasteridae
6. Carpet anemone (Stichodactyla sp.) Order Actiniaria
7. Common sea pen (Pteroeides sp.) Order Pennatulacea
8. Drills, Family Muricidae
9. Fan shell, Family Pinnidae
10. Filefish or Leatherjacket, Family Monacanthidae
11. Flower crab (Portunus pelagicus) Family Portunidae
12. Geographic sea hare (Syphonota geographica) Order Anaspidea
13. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
14. Ornate goby (Istigobius ornatus) Family Gobiidae
15. Peacock anemone (Cerianthus sp.) Order Ceriantharia
16. Salmacis sea urchin (Salmacis sp.)
17. Sand collar of the Moon snail, Family Naticidae
18. Sand star (Astropecten sp.) Family Astropectinidae
19. Shrimps, Order Decapoda
20. Spiral melongena (Pugilina cochlidium) Family Melongenidae
21. Sponge, Phylum Porifera
22. Stranded Jellyfish
23. Striped hermit crab (Clibanarius sp.) Suborder Anomura
24. Swimming anemone (Family Boloceroididae)
25. Swimming crab (Thalamita sp.) Family Portunidae
26. Thunder Crab (Myomenippe hardwickii) Family Eriphiidae
27. Tidal hermit crab (Diogenes sp.) Suborder Anomura

Reference:
Ria Tan (2003). Online Guide to Chek Jawa, Animals A-Z. Accessed on 25 Jun. 2007.
<http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/i802.htm>

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Chek Jawa Recce on 20/06/07

This time, two of my supervisors for my project, Siva and Dr Peter Todd, took precious time out to visit the field site with me during the last of the low spring tides. Appreciate it a lot. We were not there to just tour but its sort of a working trip, since its for a project. It's interesting and heartening to see them taking time out and then travel in a bumboat, rent bikes, negotiating the slopes of Ubin just to get to Chek Jawa.


After a brief walkthrough of the coral rubble area to see the survivals of the carpet anemones, we were back to the main sandbar. Sand dollars which usually are found in the northern part can now be found nearer South. If you look closely at the above photo, you can see some circular outlines. And there are a lot of sand dollars dwelling below the sand.


This is what you see when your hand reaches out to pick one and turn it around. A cake sand dollar (Arachnoides placenta)! They are the most commonly seen sand dollars on Chek Jawa. Their body is divided into 5 parts with tiny spines covering the entire body.


Here is our serious-looking Siva and Dr Peter deep in thoughts on the issues of the project.


Something that caught our attention was these black patches of slime covering a huge area of the lagoon nearer to the sand bar area.


A closer look. According to Siti of Teamseagrass, she commented that they are cyanobacteria and they usually come when there are more rain and go quickly too. Bad thing about them is they cover the seagrass.


After my two supervisors left since they have something on, I lingered on to collect some water samples for salinity tests. And we can see from this photo that the boardwalk is completed! Public can now access CJ via the boardwalk from 7th July.


Adding live to CJ will definitely be this pair of dogs.


and also this grey heron that walks around the intertidal flat to hunt for food. We saw one at the beginning of the day with a fish in its mouth. Wow. Looks like the early bird catches the "fish".

After a hard day of work, I left Chek Jawa through the mangrove side since the tide was already coming in fast through sandbar. I don't want to risk walking in murky water since I was alone. What if I step onto Miss Stingray? Mangroves are interesting, esp with these mudskippers.

The boardwalk will also feature the magnificient mangrove ecosystem of Chek Jawa.

Before I say byebye, here's the fiddler crab "waving" me goodbye too.

A bumboat ride shows us the remaining kelongs you can find in Singapore.


The beach is Pasir Ris park. Can you see the city outline at the back?


This trip was a great one, because it updates me how dynamic CJ is, with the movement of sandbar, change in seagrass communities, coming and going of cyanobacteria etc etc. Ecosystems are not static and changes has to take place. It's interesting to learn and study about these changes so that we can monitor and detect what changes are those that require our alert and attention.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Changi and Pulau Sekudu

The study of Chek Jawa's mortality and recruitment requires also taking a look at the surrounding northern shores for to study recruitment in terms of seeding new population of macrofauna. Which shore seeds which shore? What can be found here and not there?

How is the population of macrofauna doing from Changi, Sekudu, Johor or even Sentosa?

The answers may still be unknown of now but perhaps we can get some clues from my previous low spring tide trips to Changi and Sekudu.

Water samples were taken for salinity tests from each site.

Below are accounts of the trips from blogposts, will upload the photo gallery of each trip soon.



1. Changi Beach (site A) on 14/06/07
Changi wonders

2. Pulau Sekudu on 16/06/07
Sekudu- A frog's eye view

3. Changi Beach (site B and C) on 18/06/07
Changi surprises me again

Gallery of photos from last month's recce and January's mortality event

1. Mass Mortality photos taken on 20th January 2007:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7347996@N08/sets/72157600263629907/

2. Recce Photos taken on 18th May 2007: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7347996@N08/sets/72157600226680643/

(Note: Dimensions of scale (Silva compass) used in photo: 12.5cm x 6cm; dial of the compass- diameter: 5cm)

3. Recce Photos taken on 20th May 2007: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7347996@N08/sets/72157600233138053/

Links for an account of what happened on the previous trips

Day 1 Recce (19 May 2007):

"Chek Jawa Recce" blog post by Kok Sheng which highlights the 3cm juvenile carpet anemones found in a particular pool
http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2007/05/chek-jawa-recce.html

Day 2 Recce (20 May 2007):

"Aftermath of Chek Jawa 1" blog post by Siyang, which highlights the vibrancy of life at the southern or coral rubble area of Chek Jawa.
http://uforest.blogspot.com/2007/05/aftermath-of-chek-jawa-1.html

"More Chek Jawa Recces" blog post by Kok Sheng which highlights returns like noble volute, biscuit sea stars, ball sea cucumber and also a lot more anemones.
http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2007/05/more-chek-jawa-recces.html

Day 3 Recce (21 May 2007):

"Chek Jawa Day II Recce" blog post by Siyang, which highlights other living creatures of Chek Jawa like mussels, lots of sand dollars, carpet anemones of different sizes.
http://uforest.blogspot.com/2007/05/chek-jawa-day-ii-recee.html

"More Chek Jawa Recces" blog post by Kok Sheng which highlights returns like noble volute, biscuit sea stars, ball sea cucumber and also a lot more anemones.
http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2007/05/more-chek-jawa-recces.html

Day 4 Transect day (22 May 2007)

"Garang Warriors at CJ Day 3 Transect" blog post by Siyang, which highlights the selfless efforts of volunteers to document recovery in Chek Jawa.
http://uforest.blogspot.com/2007/05/garang-warriors-at-cj-day-3-transect.html

"Chek Jawa Visit from Chemistry graduate" blog post by Weilin, which highlights the different prospective of nature from a first-timer in an intertidal shore.
http://funandmemories.blogspot.com/2007/05/chek-jawa-visit-from-chem-grads.html

“Blessings for Chek Jawa Transect” blog post by Kok Sheng highlights the transect that is only possible with the help of others.
http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2007/05/blessings-for-chek-jawa-transect.html